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Five Things We Learned: Friday at the PGA Championship

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3 years ago

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The drive from Buffalo to the media shuttle lot took one hour and two minutes. It included five vehicles that didn’t know left lane from right lane, at least two healthy rain showers, and a few cashews. Fran the Bus Man made sure to keep me entertained on the shuttle ride in, and my entry to the tournament grounds was seamless. When the PGA Championship was held here in Augusts of 2003 and 2013, I was able to spend four to five days on course. Now that it is celebrated during the school year, my access is truncated.

The weather systems tossed an unexpected series of squalls at Friday’s play. Despite the arrival of the wet stuff, the band played on. No delays, just a spritz or two on the golf course. Saturday might look worse, but getting 36 complete and a cut established is pretty great stuff for western New York in May. On that squishy note, let’s take a look at five things that we learned on Friday at the 2023 PGA Championship.

1. Making putts on 18 to make the cut is sweet

Within the space of two groups, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth made 10-15 feet putts for bogey and par, respectively. Each stood near the cut line, and needed to make those critters to have a seat at the table over the weekend. Each one buried the palpitation-inducers in the heart of the cup, as champions do. One group later, Matt Fitzpatrick came to the same hole, also on the line. His drive found a right-side fairway bunker, and his approach slipped over the lip, landing fifty feet below the hole. His approach putt stormed past the hole, into Spieth territory. His read was not as accurate as Spieth’s, and the weekend slipped away for the 2022 US Open champion.

Sometimes they drop, and sometimes they don’t.

2. We met the new neighbors

There’s this young guy named Justin Suh, who made his debut on the PGA block this week. How did he get a spot in the neighborhood?

I would say I started driving it a lot better. We made a few adjustments before the tournament started, and I think it clicked right when the tournament
started. I would say hitting fairways are pretty crucial out here, but I play pretty conservative with my iron shots just because greens are pretty important on this golf course, and I rely
on my speed with my putter.

Adrian Meronk from Poland is a new exchange student, and Callum Tarren is also spending some time in the states, having grown up in England. Suh dropped a stroke from his opening 69, and found a spot in the penultimate pairing with his day-two 68. Callum Tarren is right there with Suh, going from 71 to 67 overnight, to move inside the top ten. Adrian Meronk didn’t fair nearly as well as the aforementioned lads, but he did move inside the cut line with a Friday 69. We all love over-the-fence talk about the new kids on the block, and there’s no reason to think that this trio won’t make some noise on the weekend.

3. The guy that all of western New York supports is … Keith Mitchell?

You bet. Howza come? Well, Mitchell has partnered with the Buffalo Bills #QB1, Josh Allen, at the AT & T pro-am in California, for a few years. Each one extols the other’s virtues, and rumor has it that Mitchell is now a table-breaking member of the #BillsMafia.

Don’t expect Mitchell to don the red, white, and blue zubaz sweats for the weekend, but understand that he sits in a pretty positive space after 36 holes. If he can figure out the par-five holes (he’s two-over par on them through two rounds) and avoid the bogeys that lurk along Allen’s Creek, Mitchell might move within a handful of shots by Saturday night. As we all know, Sundays are shootouts and Mitchell is a gunslinger.

4. Say Goodbye to Hollywood and …

In addition to Matt Fitzpatrick, Tom Kim, Jason Day, and Cameron Young missed the cut. Young and his caddie somehow failed to replace a ball marker that had been moved for another player’s putt. The ensuing, two-stroke penalty dropped Young from +6 to +8 and crushed all momentum. Joining that trio on the train out of town are Sungjae Im, Sam Burns, and 19 out of 20 PGA professionals. Only Michael Block, from Mission Viejo, California, survived the 36-hole cut among the club professionals. He did it in style, matching a Friday 70 to his Thursday one, finding himself tied for 11th at the halfway post.

5. Wear out the center of the green

Those are the words of one of our tri-leaders. Viktor Hovland.

… I’ve just been a little bit young and stupid, just going after some pins that I’m not
supposed to go for even though I’m feeling good about my ball-striking and it’s easy to just feel like, yeah, I’m going to take it right at it and make a birdie here. Then you hit a decent shot, and then you’re short-sided and make bogey or double, and you just can’t do that in major championship golf.
You just have to wear out center of the green. If that putter gets hot, you can make some birdies.

Hovland did precisely that, and made a nifty birdie at the last, while Scottie Scheffler had a sloppy bogey. The pair ended up at the same address: five-under par for 36 holes. Joining them is Corey Conners, who made a somewhat-benign par at the closing, 502-yard par four. Scheffler and Conners will be paired in the final twosome, while Hovland will match wits with Justin Suh.

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Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 Memorial Tournament

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4 weeks ago

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Jun 1, 2026

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GolfWRX is on site this week at the Memorial Tournament, with both Alistair Cameron and Tour Photographer Greg Moore on the ground in Dublin, Ohio, where a strong field is assembled to pay homage to the Golden Bear.

In addition to WITB galleries, we’ve already been treated to an in-hand look at Tommy Fleetwood’s new TaylorMade Spider putters.

Check out links to all our photos below.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

 

 

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Tour Tech Rundown: Heroic Henley

Published

4 weeks ago

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Jun 1, 2026

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Around the world, the golf wheel spun this final week in May of 2026. From New Jersey to Austria, with stops in Korea, Texas, and North Carolina (don’t let me route your next trip) the world’s finest put their golf games on display. There were three playoffs, some known commodities and some new talent. It was the sort of week that we hope to have at this point in the seasons. June and July afford double-digit major events, and perhaps, one of this week’s champions will use this success as a springboard to new heights. Time to run it all down, tech style, in this week’s Tour Tech Rundown.

Thanks to WITBHub, Today’s Golfer, GolfWRX, and Inside Tour Golf for initial research into equipment.

PGA Tour @ Charles Schwab Challenge: Heroic Henley denies Cole

Eric Cole did nearly everything that a fellow can do, to secure a first PGA Tour title. He stayed one shot clear of Ryder Cup player Ben Griffin. He kept US Open champion Gary Woodland and wunderkind Michael Brennan two shots distant. He posted 70 on day four to reach twelve under par. And then, Russell Henley revealed his Dr. Strange cloak. Henley made 47 feet of birdie putts on holes 16, 17, and 18, to jump from minus-nine to twelve-deep, and secured a spot in a playoff with Cole. The duo returned to the final tee, and put on a stripe show.

Both golfers found the fairway off the tee, and Henley improved on his regulation play with an approach to four feet. Cole did himself proud, tucking an iron to a dozen feet, but he was unable to convert the putt for three. Henley is one of the best putters on tour, and he proved it once more by draining a putt for a fourth consecutive birdie, and a sixth PGA Tour title. For Eric Cole, that first victory should come, and soon. He has done everything necessary to earn the chalice lift.

Henley’s Suitcase

  • Driver: Titleist TSi3 at 10 degrees. Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 70g 6.5 TX
  • Metal: Titleist TS3 at 16.5 degrees. Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 80 TX
  • Hybrid: Titleist TSi2 at 21 degrees. Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT hybrid 100 TX
  • Iron: Titleist T250 4-iron. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf AMT Tour White X100
  • Irons: Titleist T100 5-6 irons. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf AMT Tour White X100
  • Irons: Titleist T100 7-9 irons. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
  • Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 at 48 and 50 degrees. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf Tour Issue X100
  • Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 at 54 and 60 degrees. Shaft: rue Temper Dynamic Golf Tour Issue S400
  • Putter: Titleist Scotty Cameron T5 Tour Prototype

LPGA @ Shoprite LPGA: Welcome back, Celine!

Soo Bin Joo had her eyes on a maiden LPGA title. She held the lead after two rounds, then hit a red light at the intersection of can-I and how-To. Joo posted plus-two on day three in New Jersey, and dropped to a T4 finish, which was still a career-best for the young Korean golfer. Instead of a new face, a familiar face returned to the top of the podium.

Celine Boutier was the It Girl in 2023. She collected four victories, including a major title at Evian. Boutier reached world number one status, then simply faded into the background. No wins came her way over the next 30 months. On Sunday, she collected LPGA victory number seven, at the same trace as LPGA victory number two.

Day three saw Boutier manage the windswept Seaview Bay course with six birdies and a bogey. She was challenged in the end by Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol, who signed for a 66 of her own. Yubol came up one shot shy of the top ladder rung. Finishing in third place at -7, two back of the winner, was Ireland’s Lauren Walsh.

Celine’s Suitcase

  • Driver: PXG 0311 Black Ops Tour-1 at 9 degrees. Shaft: Graphite Design AD IZ-5
  • Hybrid: PXG 0311 Black Ops at 19 and 22 degrees. Shaft: KBS Hybrid Prototype
  • Hybrid: PXG 0311 Gen5.
  • Iron: PXG 0311 P Gen 4 5-9 irons
  • Wedge: PXG 0311 T Gen 4 PW
  • Wedges: PXG 0311 Sugar Daddy II at 50, 54, 58 degrees
  • Putter: Bettinardi Studio Stock 3 DASS

DP World Tour @ Austrian Alpine: KK? KK!

Kota Kaneko has a rhythmic name. It has strong vowels and a run of voiceless stops in its crunchy K sounds. On Sunday in Austria, Kaneko put a stop to a challenge from Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia and everyone else, and claimed a first-ever title on the DP World Tour. Gouveia did well to reach 16-under par over four days, but Kaneko held firm, two shots in the clear.

Davis Bryant of the USA also forged a strong challenge for the win. He ended in a tie with Gouveia for second place. Kaneko began and finished his final round in a bit of a malaise, but he caught fire midway through. Birdies at 10, 12, and 13 provided the necessary cushion to cruise to the finish line without breaking a serious sweat.

Kaneko’s Suitcase

  • Driver: Ping Max G440
  • Metals: TaylorMade Qi4D at 15, 16.5, 21, and 24 degrees
  • Irons: TaylorMade P760 5 and 6 irons
  • Irons: TaylorMade P7TW 7-9 irons
  • Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design at 46, 52, 56, and 60 degrees
  • Putter: Odyssey Ai-One Cruiser Arm Lock #7

Korn Ferry Tour @ UNC Health Championship: Improbably Alvaro

Alvaro Ortiz may have had a bit of scare on the outward nine on Sunday, but he came through in clutch fashion in the end. Ortiz began the day bogey-double, and added another double bogey at the 11th hole. He was mired in a downward trend, spiraling away from the top of the leader’s board. Ortiz found hope at the 14th, where his first birdie of the day tumbled home. Inspired, he closed with birdies and 17 and 18 to catch Ross Steelman at 10-under par, and the duo returned to the 18th deck for overtime.

The extra session concluded in brief time. Ortiz, buoyed by his newly-retrieved confidence, hit the fairway with driver, then approached to six feet and drained the putt. Gobsmacked, Steelman could do little more than smile and applaud, as his run at the top came to a close. The victory was the first for Ortiz on the KFT, and will implant him squarely in the chase for a PGA Tour promotion.

Alvaro’s Suitcase

  • Driver: Ping G430 MAX driver at 9 degrees loft
  • Metal: Ping G430 MAX 3W
  • Iron: Ping iDi Driving Iron
  • Irons: Ping Blueprint S irons
  • Wedges
  • Putter: Scottsdale TR Piper C

LIV @ Korea: Me llamo Joaquin

Chile’s Joaquin Niemann had been away from the LIV winner’s circle throughout all of 2026. This week in Korea, he reminded us that he is still a force to consider. Niemann chased down Taylor Gooch over the closing holes at Asiad Country Club, then claimed victory with a hole-one birdie in extra time. Bryson DeChambeau claimed solo third, one shot in arrears at minus-eleven. Dustin Johnson finished on fourth, one putt farther back.

Niemann’s Suitcase

  • Driver: Ping 440 LST
  • Metal: Ping G440 Max at 15 degrees
  • Metal: Ping G425 Max at 21 degrees
  • Hybrid: Ping G430 at 25 degrees
  • Irons: Ping Blueprint S 5 through PW
  • Wedges: Ping S159 at 52, 56, and 60 degrees
  • Putter: Ping PLD Anser

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Russell Henley’s winning WITB: 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge

Published

4 weeks ago

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May 31, 2026

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Driver: Titleist TSi3 (10 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 70 6.5 TX

3-wood: Titleist TS3 (16.5 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 80 TX

7-wood: Titleist GTS3 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Project X Denali Black 80 TX

Irons: Titleist T250 (4), Titleist T100 (5-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold AMT (4-6), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (7-9)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 (48-10F @47, 50-08F @51, 54-10S @55, 60-04T)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48), S400 (47)

Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom X5 Tour Prototype

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

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